Kevin Bickner 23rd in FIS World Cup in Klingenthal GERCanada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes places 12th Results: Sun 12/4The USA’s Kevin Bickner put in a consistent performance on Sunday Dec 4 to finish 23rd in Men’s World Cup action in Klingenthal GER. Fellow North American Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes of Canada placed 12th. Slovenian youngster Domen Prevc tas the winner, followed by Daniel Andre Tande of Norway, and Stefan Kraft of Austria. Saturday featured a team competition; Germany won, ahead of Norway and Austria. Neither the US or Canada participated.Bryan Fletcher 9th in Klingenthal Nordic Combined 12/4Germany’s Eric Frenzel wins both days Results: Sat 12/3Sun 12/4Nordic Combined World Cup action in Klingenthal on the first weekend of December saw another double winner, this time Germany’s Eric Frenzel. On Saturday, he was followed by a pair of Germans, last week’s winner Johannes Rydzek and Fabian Reissle. American Taylor Fletcher placed 26th Saturday; his brother Bryan was 32nd, and their teammates Ben Loomis and Ben Berend finished 43rd and 44th, respectively.Bryan Fletcher was 9th overall on Sunday (22nd in jumping and 6th fastest in the cross-country race). Taylor scored another 26th, with Berend 49th and Loomis 52nd. Bjoern Kirchheisen (GER, 2nd) and Joergen Graabak (NOR, 3rd) joined Frenzel on the podium.Sarah Hendrickson 11th & 8th in Lillehammer World CupTakanashi & Ito take top two spots both days Results: Fri 12/2Sat 12/3Japan’s Sara Takanashi stood atop the podium in the first Women’s World Cup event of the 2017 season on Friday. Her teammate Yuki Ito and Germany’s Anna Rupprecht placed 2nd & 3rd. Sarah Hendrickson of the USA finished 11th. Americans Nita Englund and Nina Lussi didn’t make the cut to the final round, finishing 38th and 39th, respectively.On Saturday, Hendrickson was the only American qualifier. After just missing the top ten on Friday, she climbed into eighth place on Saturday. She’s back in action after missing all of last season due to a knee injury. Sarah was the 2012 World Cup series champion, and the winner of the bi-annual FIS World Championships in 2013, placing 2nd overall for the season behind Takanashi.FIS World Cup Nordic Combined - Ruka FIN Nov 26-27Rydzek wins twice, Bryan Fletcher 23rd, 31st Results: Sat 11/26Sun 11/27On Saturday, Bryan Fletcher, USA, stood 32nd after the ski jumping round, which meant he would start 32nd in the cross-country racing round. He had the 9th fastest time in the race, giving him a solid 23rd overall. Germany’s Johannes Rydzek was the winner, followed by Germany’s Eric Frenzel and Norway’s Joergen Graabak.Sunday found Rydzek at the top of the podium once again, ahead of Wilhelm Denifl (AUT) and Akito Watabe (JPN). Bryan Fletcher was 40th after the jumping round, so he started in 40th place in the race. He blasted out the 4th-fastest time, improving his overall result to 31st. Taylor Fletcher was 43rd after jumping, 34th in the race, finishing 40th overall.FIS Men’s World Cup Ski Jumping - Ruka FIN Nov 25-26Friday’s kickoff had 8 jumpers over 300 points! Results:Fri 11/25Sat 11/26Fifty jumpers competed in Friday’s opening event of the Men’s FIS World Cup season. The Prevc brothers from Slovenia took two of the podium spots, with Domen the winner and Peter finishing 3rd. Germany’s Severin Freund placed 2nd. Canada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes was the best North American, just missing the final round in 32nd. Kevin Bickner, USA, was 46th.Domen Prevc’s score of 321.8 points came on flights of 138.5 and 140.5 meters. To put the strength of this field into perspective, ALL of the 31 jumpers in the final round scored in excess of 260 points. A good “par” score for a good jumper, is about 240 points. There’s a discussion of hill sizes and scoring on another page ... see link above left.Saturday’s winner was Freund, who scored 290.6 points on jumps of 146 and 138 meters. He was followed by Norway’s Daniel Andre Tande and Austria’s Manuel Fettner. None of the North Americans made the final round. Boyd-Clowes was 35th, Bickner 38th, Mike Glasder (USA) 38th, and Rhoads 40th.Schedules Announced by WSJUSA and Central DivisionWomen’s Ski Jumping USA: Schedule Central Division: ScheduleThe links above will take you to the winter competition schedules for the US women’s ski jumping team, and also to the Central Division schedule. The largest concentration of jumping clubs in the USA is in the midwest, and there’s an event most weekends from January through March. It includes two international competitions ... an FIS Cup in Eau Claire WI Jan 27-28, and a Continental Cup in Iron Mountain MI Feb 25-26. Geraghty-Moats, Rhoads win NH Nationals in Lake PlacidTara is a first-time national champion, Will grabs his third RESULTS 10/9The NYSEF annual tournament was held on Saturday and the 2017 US Normal Hill National Championships took place on Sun Oct 9. The women’s title went to Tara Geraghty-Moats, and the men’s to William Rhoads. ARTICLES: FISUSA NordicNote that this is a 2017 championship; most countries now hold their national championships in the fall BEFORE the winter competition season begins. Our Large Hill Nationals were held in Park City on July 30; scroll down for details.FIS Updates on Ski Jumping Facilities Projects in USAArticle features conceptual drawing of new Red Wing jump CLICK TO VIEWThe FIS website recently posted an article on two American ski jump projects, a new K125 jump to be built just south of Red Wing MN, and upgrades to Copper Peak in Ironwood MI. ALSO: See link to www.americanskijumping.comfor article on homepage.Summer GP Series Finale in Klingenthal GER Oct 2Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes (CAN) 6th, Will Rhoads (USA) 24th Results:Sun 10/2The top two spots in the final event before winter was the Summer Grand Prix finale in Klingenthal GER. Polish jumpers Maciej Kot and Kamil Stoch took the first two spots on the podium, with Slovenia’s Peter Prevc 3rd. Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes of Canada continued to show great results, finishing 6th, and William Rhoads of USA Nordic tied for 24th with Manuel Fettner of Austria. Kevin Bickner of USA Nordic narrowly missed the final round, placing 31st.Kevin Bickner 27th in Summer GP in Hinzenbach Oct 1Field included 50 of best World Cup regulars Results:Sat 10/1USA Nordic’s Kevin Bickner continues to show strong results in ski jumping’s premier series, the Summer Grand Prix. He made the cut to the final round of 30 on Sat Oct 1 in Hinzenbach AUT, finishing 27th. Polish stars Maciej Kot and Dawid Kubacki took the top two spots on the podium, with World Cup champion Peter Prevc of Slovenia in 3rd. Way to go, Kevin!William Rhoads 19th Fri, 5th Sat in Klingenthal COCCanada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes 5th Sat, 7th Sun Results: Fri 9/30Sat 10/1William Rhoads of the USA cracked the top 20 in Klingenthal on Fri Sept 30, placing 19th in Continental Cup action. Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes of Canada, who scored a podium finish in 3rd last weekend in Stams AUT, finished 5th. Markus Eisenbichler of Germany took the win.On Sat Oct 1, Rhoads claimed 5th place, with Boyd-Clowes in 7th ... a pair of North Americans in the top ten! Slovenia’s Juri Tepes was the winner. Congratulations, Will and Mac!Mike Glasder 22nd & 23rd in Wisla COC Sept 24-25Consistency gives uptimism looking ahead! Results: Sat 9/24Sun 9/25American Mike Glasder put in solid performances back-to-back in Continental Cup action at Wisla POL recently, making the final round of 30 in a field of 59 jumpers. He finished 22nd on Saturday; Italy’s Davide Bresadola was the winner. On Sunday, Glasder placed 23rd; Germany’s Markus Eisenbichler took the top spot.American Men & Women in Action in Europe Sept 17-18Nina Lussi in top 10 twice in Hinterzarten FC-W Results: Sat 9/17Sun 9/18The Women’s FIS Cup competition in Hinterzarten featured a lot of Americans, topped by Nina Lussi’s 7th & 8th place finishes. On Saturday, Germany’s Carina Vogt (2014 Olympic gold medalist) was the winner. Behind Lussi (7th) were Emilee Anderson 18th, Gabriella Armstrong 19th, Samantha Macuga 20th, Cara Larson 23rd, Logan Sankey 24th, Anna Hoffman 25th, Sophie Nester 26th, and Mollie Immens 27th. On Sunday, Germany’s Anna Rupprecht took the top spot. Lussi (8th) was followed by Anderson 17th, Armstrong 18th, Larson 20th, Sankey 21st, Hoffman 22nd, Macuga 23rd, Nester 24th, and Immens 26th.Kevin Bickner, William Rhoads Shine in Stams COC Results: Sat 9/17Sun 9/18Germany’s Markus Eisenbichler was a double winner in Continental Cup action in Stams AUT. Canada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes took third, with Kevin Bickner 17th, William Rhoads 25th. and Mike Glasder 43rd. On Sunday, Boyd-Clowes was 5th, with Rhoads moving up to 11th, Bickner improving to 15th, and Glasder up to 40th. Boyd=Clowes trains & travels with US team.Nita Englund 7th & 4th in Summer GP in Russia Sept 10/11Tara Geraghty-Moats places 13th & 15th Results: Sat 9/10Sun 9/11Japan’s Sara Takanashi took first place both days in Women’s Summer Grand Prix competition in Chaikovsky Russia Sept 10 & 11. The USA’s Nita Englund just missed the podium on Sunday, finishing 4th, and teammate Tara Geraghty-Moats placed 15th. On Saturday, Nita was 7th, and Tara 13th. Congratulations, Nita and Tara!Kevin Bickner 16th and 7th in Summer GP in Hakuba JPN16th on Saturday, 7th SundayResults: Sat 8/27Results: Sun 8/28Kevin Bickner set the table on Saturday with a top-20 result in Summer Grand Prix action in Japan, but put on quite a show Sunday, leading after the first round with the longest flight of the day at 135 meters, and putting in a solid second jump of 118 meters to finish 7th. > > > Read full coverage on USANORDIC.COMCasey Larson Scores FIS Points Twice in Kuopio FIN22nd in FIS Cup Thurs Aug 18Results: Thurs 8/18Results: Fri 8/1926th in Continental Cup Sun Aug 21Results: Sat 8/20Results: Sun 8/21Casey Larson of the USA Nordic ski team scored his first FIS points by finishing in the top 30 in an FIS Cup competition in Kuopio FIN on Aug 18. He finished in the points again on Sunday in a Continental Cup event at the same venue. See team coverage at USANordic.orgUSA Nordic Update by Adam Loomis, NC Team MemberRead “New Kids on the Block” ... click here for complete articleWe’re going to provide links to new releases from USA Nordic ... it looks like an exciting year ahead for our jumpers and Nordic Combiners; we want to continue to provide a springboard to their website so you can get the latest directly from the source!.Kevin Bickner 8th in Summer GP in Einsiedeln Sat Aug 6Canada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes 14th Results: Sat 8/6Details: USA NordicThe US Nordic program is celebrating a top-ten finish in the Summer Grand Prix, the summer equivalent of World Cup. Kevin Bickner grabbed 8th place, and Mackenzie-Boyd Clowes of Canada, who trains with the US team, placed 14th. Results and details at links above.Masters National Championships in St Paul New Year’s DayFor men & women 25 years of age and up ... age brackets & hill sizes for ALLWe invite you to visit the US Masters Facebook Page ... CLICK HERE for info.Masters age classes are as follows:Pre-Master 25-29 M1 30-39 M2 40-49 M3 50-59 M4 60-69 M5 70-79click photo to enlargeSo, you WERE a ski jumper, hung ‘em up a few (or many) years ago, but still think you’d enjoy the thrill of flight once again. Masters Ski Jumping may be JUST WHAT YOU NEED!And Masters Ski Jumping NEEDS YOU!!! The more, the merrier ... but you know that!Masters competitions have age classes, but you will jump on a hill that’s comfortable for your skill and experience. You will NOT need to compete on a hill bigger than you choose. It’s all about FUN, and we’d like YOU to think about it! Click link above to visit the Masters FB page.We want to keep jumpers in the sport, bring old jumpers back, and bring new jumpers in.American Ski Jumping HOF 2016 Induction Held Sat Aug 6Olympic gold medalist Billy Demong & architect Dave Solner featured speakersA large crowd gathered on a beautiful evening at the Mt Frontenac golf course south of Red Wing MN for the tenth American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame was held. Billy Demong 2012 Olympic gold medalist, spoke about his role in the USA Nordic organization, which develops and supports the US ski jumping and Nordic Combined teams, and is dedicated to growing and supporting the sport in the USA. Dave Solner, architect and former jumper, showed and explained proposed plans for the new Olympic-sized jump to be built on the property, which is in the hills overlooking the Mississippi River. The golf course is owned by the Prairie Island tribe, which owns the nearby Treasure Island casino. They will be major partners in the development of this huge and spectacular new jump.More about event and new jump: www.americanskijumping.comNational Championships to Rhoads, Jerome, T Fletcher2017 Large-Hill titles decided at Utah Olympic Park Results: Sat 7/30/16Will Rhoads claimed his second consecutive national lare-hill title, and Jessica Jerome added another to her dozen previous titles. She’s been flying on this hill for a long time ... was a forerunner at the 2002 Olympics ... when wome weren’t allowed to compete!The scoresheet (link above) will show Canada’s Taylor Henrich in 1st place in the women’s class, Jessica in 2nd; but as the top US finisher, Jess earned the US title, her thirteenth. Cara Larson and Logan Sankey were awarded 2nd and 3rd place in the US Nationals.Will Rhoads took top honors among the men, with Kevin Bickner 2nd and Casey Larson 3rd in the US title competition. Canada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes blasted his way into 3rd overall, despite falling after landing on a flight of 139.5 meters.The Nordic Combined championship went to Taylor Fletcher, followed by Bryan Fletcher and Ben Berend (results included at the end of scoresheet via link above).A non-championship event was held on Friday on the “normal hill.” Results: Fri 7/29/16_________________ ICMYI ... News From Last Season ________________Englund 7th in Almaty Feb 28, Sets Hill Record at 103.5MGeraghty-Moats 15th ... both move up after first round Results: Sun 2/28For the second day in a row in Women’s World Cup, both Americans had great final round jumps to move up in the final round. Nita’s flight of 103.5 meters was a new hill record, and moved her up from 13th to 8th. Tara moved from 18th to 15th with a 95 meter jump. Englund 8th, Geraghty-Moats 11th in Almaty Feb 27Both Americans move up after 2nd round jumps of 98.5M Results: Sat 2/27Nita Englund was 19th and Tara Geraghty-Moats 21st after the first round of Women’s World Cup competition in Almaty KAZ on Saturday. But they each blasted their way to 98.5 meters on their second jump, vaulting them to 8th and 11th place, respectively. Unseasonably warm spring weather made for rather soggy conditions, but there were a lot of very long jumps. Nita has had a number of top-10 finishes this year, and Tara’s 11th was a career best. They’ll jump again Sunday.USA’s Mike Glasder Wins Iron Mountain COC Feb 20William Rhoads 6th, Christian Friberg 26thevent websiteResults: Sat 2/20It’s been about 30 years since an American jumper captured top honors at Pine Mountain, but that string came to an end on Saturday Feb 20 with Michael Glasder, of Cary IL, a member of the USA Nordic ski jumping team winning ahead of Poland’s Bartolomiej Klusek and Slovenia’s Ernest Prislic. William Rhoads of the USA, from Park City UT, placed 6th, and teammate Christian Friberg was 26th Congratulations to these three US jumpers, and to coach Clint Jones. Pictured: Mike (L), Clint ... Ken Anderson photoGlasder earned 100 points in the standings for his first place finish, and that vaulted him from 57th place to 39th in the season standings. CURRENT STANDINGS (after 21 of 28 events)There were at least 10 jumps over 130 meters today, and another dozen or more in the 120+ meter range. Temperature was around 40 with cloud cover; it was a GREAT day with a huge crowd on hand.Austrians Fill Podium in Iron Mountain Sunday Feb 21Altenburger wins; Glasder 17th, Rhoads 25th, Friberg 28th Results: Sun 2/21Fans at Pine Mountain were treated to another excellent competition on Sunday. The Austrian team had nobody in the top ten Saturday, but the took all three podium spots on Sunday. Florian Altenburger was the winner, with teammates Andreas Tollinger and Clemens Aigner 2nd & 3rd respectively. The USA’s Mike Glasder, Saturday’s winner, took 15th place, with Will Rhoads 25th and Christian Friberg 29th. CURRENT STANDINGS (after 22 of 28 events)FIS World Junior Championships - Rasnov ROUUS men: Kevin Bickner, Patrick Gasienica, Casey Larson, Nick MattoonUS women: Gabriella Armstrong, Mollie Immens, Cara Larson, Logan Sankey•Ski Jumping - Women: Logan Sankey 30th results 2/23•Ski Jumping - Men: Kevin Bickner 6thresults 2/24•Ski Jumping - Men’s Team: USA 12th results 2/24•Ski Jumping - Mixed Team: USA 12thresults 2/24FIS Youth Olympic Games - Lillehammer NORUS team: Casey Larson, Ben Loomis, Logan Sankey•Nordic Combined: Ben Loomis 2nd results 2/16jump round•Ski Jumping - Men: Casey Larson 6thresults 2/16•Ski Jumping - Women: Logan Sankey 12th results 2/16•Ski Jumping - Men’s Team: USA 10th results 2/19Lahti Women’s WC ... Americans 12th, 15th, 30th Englund 12th, Geraghty-Moats 15th, Hughes 30th Results: Fri 2/19The Lahti FIN Women’s World Cup got off to a soggy start, but the competition was held on Friday Feb 19, and Japans Sara Takanashi once again flew to the top of the podium. Three Americans finished in the points, with Nita Englund capturing 12th position, Tara Geraghty Moats 15th, and Abby Hughes getting her first World Cup point of the season by placing 30th ... just before hopping a flight back to the US to get ready for her April wedding!Nita Englund 7th in Ljubno SLO World Cup Sat 2/13Takanashi 2nd and 4th; wins to Vtic & Iraschko Results: Sat 2/13Sun 2/14The USA’s Nita Englund scored another top-ten finish, placing 7th on Saturday in the first day of Women’s World Cup action in Ljubno SLO. Maja Vtic of Slovenia edged Japan’s Sara Takanashi, breaking her win streak. Takanashi was 2nd, with Slovenia’s Spela Rogelj 3rd. On Sunday, Austria’s Daniela Iraschko-Stolz was the winner; Vtic was 2nd and Slovenia’s Spela Rogelj was 3rd. Englund placed 20th, with Tara Geraghty-Moats 35th and Abby Hughes 38th.__________________________________________________________________________________________________SEE WORLD CUP LIVE ON NBC SPORTS!Live HD on NBCSN (cable), live streaming at NBCSports.com/live-extraCheck your cable guide for NBCSNIf your cable plan includes NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), you’ll be able to watch FIS winter sports coverage LIVE. Some events are carried on their HD channel, others are live-streamed.There is NO coverage of Women’s World Cup ... BOO, HISS! Maybe next year? But it’s a start.Click here for: Olympic Sports Broadcast Schedule(you’ll find a lot of other winter sports listed, and it will indicate dates, times, and whether the event is on HD or streaming) If BROADCAST, find your NBCSN channel and enjoy! If STREAMING, click here to access: www.nbcsports.com/live-extra(you’ll need to identify your provider, then you’ll need to login with the same ID and password you use to access your account on your provider’s website ... that will verify that you are a paying subscriber, and allow you to view all streamed content). It may take a few minutes to get familiar with the streaming website, but once in, you’ll find crystal-clear video, good sound, and best of all, NO COMMERCIAL BREAKS! Visit FIS site for start lists, live scoring, & results.__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Isn’t Ski Jumping Awfully Dangerous?The PERCEPTION is that ski jumping is an extremely dangerious.sport. The reality is far different ... learn more! ** READ ARTICLEHow Do People Start Ski Jumping?Nobody just picks up a pair of skis and gives ita try. Not on big hills, anyway. Most jumpers start young, on very small jumps, and learn incrementally, moving gradually to larger jumps as their skills and confidence continue to develop.** RECRUITING VIDEOHere’s a short video from a junior jumping event in St Paul MN at their annual Christmas Beginner’s Camp ...** LITTLE KID VIDEOThe following video was a 20th Century Fox Newsreel feature in about 1950.** HISTORIC VIDEOWhen Do People Hang Up Their Jumping Skis?The answer to this one is quite simple ... when they want to! Once a jumper is 30 years of age or older, he or she becomes eligible to participate in Masters competition. Jumpers age 30-39 are class M1, 40-49 M2, 50-59 M3, 60-69 M4, 70-79 M5, etc. There’s now a pre-Masters class for jumpers age 25-29.Tom Ricchio is a corporate jet pilot who jumps in class M4. Tom has competed multiple times in the Masters World Championships.** READ ARTICLEabout Tom, and his participation in the 2010 US Masters Nat’l Championships in Coleraine MN.Don West retired in 2011 as the oldest jumper in the US. A resident of Plattsburgh NY, Don was a retired college professor. He was a class M5 jumper (in his seventies), and competed multiple times in Masters World Championships. Don passed away on Aug 30, 2014, at age 77 ... click to read obituaryCONCLUSION:For those who enjoy ski jumping, it can be a lifetime sport. Some like to continue competing, others become coaches or volunteers. If you live anywere near one of the clubs listed on our Regional Clubs page, make an effort to see some live ski jumping, and if you’re inclined to give it a try, talk to one of the coaches. Although most jumpers start very young, there are adults who would like to try it, and they’re welcome, if they’re willing to “start small” and work their way on up, just like kids do.

Kevin Bickner 23rd in FIS World Cup in Klingenthal GERCanada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes places 12th Results: Sun 12/4The USA’s Kevin Bickner put in a consistent performance on Sunday Dec 4 to finish 23rd in Men’s World Cup action in Klingenthal GER. Fellow North American Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes of Canada placed 12th. Slovenian youngster Domen Prevc tas the winner, followed by Daniel Andre Tande of Norway, and Stefan Kraft of Austria. Saturday featured a team competition; Germany won, ahead of Norway and Austria. Neither the US or Canada participated.Bryan Fletcher 9th in Klingenthal Nordic Combined 12/4Germany’s Eric Frenzel wins both days Results: Sat 12/3Sun 12/4Nordic Combined World Cup action in Klingenthal on the first weekend of December saw another double winner, this time Germany’s Eric Frenzel. On Saturday, he was followed by a pair of Germans, last week’s winner Johannes Rydzek and Fabian Reissle. American Taylor Fletcher placed 26th Saturday; his brother Bryan was 32nd, and their teammates Ben Loomis and Ben Berend finished 43rd and 44th, respectively.Bryan Fletcher was 9th overall on Sunday (22nd in jumping and 6th fastest in the cross-country race). Taylor scored another 26th, with Berend 49th and Loomis 52nd. Bjoern Kirchheisen (GER, 2nd) and Joergen Graabak (NOR, 3rd) joined Frenzel on the podium.Sarah Hendrickson 11th & 8th in Lillehammer World CupTakanashi & Ito take top two spots both days Results: Fri 12/2Sat 12/3Japan’s Sara Takanashi stood atop the podium in the first Women’s World Cup event of the 2017 season on Friday. Her teammate Yuki Ito and Germany’s Anna Rupprecht placed 2nd & 3rd. Sarah Hendrickson of the USA finished 11th. Americans Nita Englund and Nina Lussi didn’t make the cut to the final round, finishing 38th and 39th, respectively.On Saturday, Hendrickson was the only American qualifier. After just missing the top ten on Friday, she climbed into eighth place on Saturday. She’s back in action after missing all of last season due to a knee injury. Sarah was the 2012 World Cup series champion, and the winner of the bi-annual FIS World Championships in 2013, placing 2nd overall for the season behind Takanashi.FIS World Cup Nordic Combined - Ruka FIN Nov 26-27Rydzek wins twice, Bryan Fletcher 23rd, 31st Results: Sat 11/26Sun 11/27On Saturday, Bryan Fletcher, USA, stood 32nd after the ski jumping round, which meant he would start 32nd in the cross-country racing round. He had the 9th fastest time in the race, giving him a solid 23rd overall. Germany’s Johannes Rydzek was the winner, followed by Germany’s Eric Frenzel and Norway’s Joergen Graabak.Sunday found Rydzek at the top of the podium once again, ahead of Wilhelm Denifl (AUT) and Akito Watabe (JPN). Bryan Fletcher was 40th after the jumping round, so he started in 40th place in the race. He blasted out the 4th-fastest time, improving his overall result to 31st. Taylor Fletcher was 43rd after jumping, 34th in the race, finishing 40th overall.FIS Men’s World Cup Ski Jumping - Ruka FIN Nov 25-26Friday’s kickoff had 8 jumpers over 300 points! Results:Fri 11/25Sat 11/26Fifty jumpers competed in Friday’s opening event of the Men’s FIS World Cup season. The Prevc brothers from Slovenia took two of the podium spots, with Domen the winner and Peter finishing 3rd. Germany’s Severin Freund placed 2nd. Canada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes was the best North American, just missing the final round in 32nd. Kevin Bickner, USA, was 46th.Domen Prevc’s score of 321.8 points came on flights of 138.5 and 140.5 meters. To put the strength of this field into perspective, ALL of the 31 jumpers in the final round scored in excess of 260 points. A good “par” score for a good jumper, is about 240 points. There’s a discussion of hill sizes and scoring on another page ... see link above left.Saturday’s winner was Freund, who scored 290.6 points on jumps of 146 and 138 meters. He was followed by Norway’s Daniel Andre Tande and Austria’s Manuel Fettner. None of the North Americans made the final round. Boyd-Clowes was 35th, Bickner 38th, Mike Glasder (USA) 38th, and Rhoads 40th.Schedules Announced by WSJUSA and Central DivisionWomen’s Ski Jumping USA: ScheduleCentral Division: ScheduleThe links above will take you to the winter competition schedules for the US women’s ski jumping team, and also to the Central Division schedule. The largest concentration of jumping clubs in the USA is in the midwest, and there’s an event most weekends from January through March. It includes two international competitions ... an FIS Cup in Eau Claire WI Jan 27-28, and a Continental Cup in Iron Mountain MI Feb 25-26. Geraghty-Moats, Rhoads win NH Nationals in Lake PlacidTara is a first-time national champion, Will grabs his third RESULTS 10/9The NYSEF annual tournament was held on Saturday and the 2017 US Normal Hill National Championships took place on Sun Oct 9. The women’s title went to Tara Geraghty-Moats, and the men’s to William Rhoads. ARTICLES: FISUSA NordicNote that this is a 2017 championship; most countries now hold their national championships in the fall BEFORE the winter competition season begins. Our Large Hill Nationals were held in Park City on July 30; scroll down for details.FIS Updates on Ski Jumping Facilities Projects in USAArticle features conceptual drawing of new Red Wing jump CLICK TO VIEWThe FIS website recently posted an article on two American ski jump projects, a new K125 jump to be built just south of Red Wing MN, and upgrades to Copper Peak in Ironwood MI. ALSO: See link to www.americanskijumping.comfor article on homepage.Summer GP Series Finale in Klingenthal GER Oct 2Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes (CAN) 6th, Will Rhoads (USA) 24th Results:Sun 10/2The top two spots in the final event before winter was the Summer Grand Prix finale in Klingenthal GER. Polish jumpers Maciej Kot and Kamil Stoch took the first two spots on the podium, with Slovenia’s Peter Prevc 3rd. Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes of Canada continued to show great results, finishing 6th, and William Rhoads of USA Nordic tied for 24th with Manuel Fettner of Austria. Kevin Bickner of USA Nordic narrowly missed the final round, placing 31st.Kevin Bickner 27th in Summer GP in Hinzenbach Oct 1Field included 50 of best World Cup regulars Results:Sat 10/1USA Nordic’s Kevin Bickner continues to show strong results in ski jumping’s premier series, the Summer Grand Prix. He made the cut to the final round of 30 on Sat Oct 1 in Hinzenbach AUT, finishing 27th. Polish stars Maciej Kot and Dawid Kubacki took the top two spots on the podium, with World Cup champion Peter Prevc of Slovenia in 3rd. Way to go, Kevin!William Rhoads 19th Fri, 5th Sat in Klingenthal COCCanada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes 5th Sat, 7th Sun Results: Fri 9/30Sat 10/1William Rhoads of the USA cracked the top 20 in Klingenthal on Fri Sept 30, placing 19th in Continental Cup action. Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes of Canada, who scored a podium finish in 3rd last weekend in Stams AUT, finished 5th. Markus Eisenbichler of Germany took the win.On Sat Oct 1, Rhoads claimed 5th place, with Boyd-Clowes in 7th ... a pair of North Americans in the top ten! Slovenia’s Juri Tepes was the winner. Congratulations, Will and Mac!Mike Glasder 22nd & 23rd in Wisla COC Sept 24-25Consistency gives uptimism looking ahead! Results: Sat 9/24Sun 9/25American Mike Glasder put in solid performances back-to-back in Continental Cup action at Wisla POL recently, making the final round of 30 in a field of 59 jumpers. He finished 22nd on Saturday; Italy’s Davide Bresadola was the winner. On Sunday, Glasder placed 23rd; Germany’s Markus Eisenbichler took the top spot.American Men & Women in Action in Europe Sept 17-18Nina Lussi in top 10 twice in Hinterzarten FC-W Results: Sat 9/17Sun 9/18The Women’s FIS Cup competition in Hinterzarten featured a lot of Americans, topped by Nina Lussi’s 7th & 8th place finishes. On Saturday, Germany’s Carina Vogt (2014 Olympic gold medalist) was the winner. Behind Lussi (7th) were Emilee Anderson 18th, Gabriella Armstrong 19th, Samantha Macuga 20th, Cara Larson 23rd, Logan Sankey 24th, Anna Hoffman 25th, Sophie Nester 26th, and Mollie Immens 27th. On Sunday, Germany’s Anna Rupprecht took the top spot. Lussi (8th) was followed by Anderson 17th, Armstrong 18th, Larson 20th, Sankey 21st, Hoffman 22nd, Macuga 23rd, Nester 24th, and Immens 26th.Kevin Bickner, William Rhoads Shine in Stams COC Results: Sat 9/17Sun 9/18Germany’s Markus Eisenbichler was a double winner in Continental Cup action in Stams AUT. Canada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes took third, with Kevin Bickner 17th, William Rhoads 25th. and Mike Glasder 43rd. On Sunday, Boyd-Clowes was 5th, with Rhoads moving up to 11th, Bickner improving to 15th, and Glasder up to 40th. Boyd=Clowes trains & travels with US team.Nita Englund 7th & 4th in Summer GP in Russia Sept 10/11Tara Geraghty-Moats places 13th & 15th Results: Sat 9/10Sun 9/11Japan’s Sara Takanashi took first place both days in Women’s Summer Grand Prix competition in Chaikovsky Russia Sept 10 & 11. The USA’s Nita Englund just missed the podium on Sunday, finishing 4th, and teammate Tara Geraghty-Moats placed 15th. On Saturday, Nita was 7th, and Tara 13th. Congratulations, Nita and Tara!Kevin Bickner 16th and 7th in Summer GP in Hakuba JPN16th on Saturday, 7th SundayResults: Sat 8/27Results: Sun 8/28Kevin Bickner set the table on Saturday with a top-20 result in Summer Grand Prix action in Japan, but put on quite a show Sunday, leading after the first round with the longest flight of the day at 135 meters, and putting in a solid second jump of 118 meters to finish 7th. > > > Read full coverage on USANORDIC.COMCasey Larson Scores FIS Points Twice in Kuopio FIN22nd in FIS Cup Thurs Aug 18Results: Thurs 8/18Results: Fri 8/1926th in Continental Cup Sun Aug 21Results: Sat 8/20Results: Sun 8/21Casey Larson of the USA Nordic ski team scored his first FIS points by finishin